


Beacon

by haldoor



Category: Firefly
Genre: Gen, M/M, M/M if you squint, mindreading
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-11
Updated: 2014-01-11
Packaged: 2018-01-08 08:05:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1130265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haldoor/pseuds/haldoor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Warnings/Spoilers:</b> None for the show<br/><b>Disclaimer:</b> Curse your sudden yet inevitable betrayal!<br/><b>Beta:</b> Nope, not this time; sorry!<br/><b>Summary:</b> Mal watches River from the shadows; she's not supposed to know he's there, nor what's going on in his head<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Beacon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [agdhani](https://archiveofourown.org/users/agdhani/gifts).



> I wrote this little Firefly ficlet as a reward for [](http://agdhani.livejournal.com/profile)[**agdhani**](http://agdhani.livejournal.com/) for her [](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://1-million-words.livejournal.com/)**1_million_words** weekend challenge contribution. She asked for something with Mal and River in. The vague allusion to Mal/Simon was entirely of my own invention. Apologies, my dear, for being unable to help myself. ;-)

Mal watched River from a distance, concealed in the shadows of Firefly's hold as she went through the motions of her… training… he supposed. Everything about her was fluid grace as she shifted and glided through the movements in a rhythm so familiar and yet unknown to him. It was a dance at the edge of his memory; one he should know but didn't quite.

Abruptly, she stopped moving and turned unerringly to face his direction. Mal's heart skipped a beat; she couldn't know he was there, could she?

"His heart calls to yours," she said, and from what Mal could see, she appeared to be looking straight into his eyes.

He glanced around himself, sure she couldn't know he was there, nor be speaking to him. He couldn't see anyone else at first; then a shadow detached itself from a wall and stepped forward, shoes echoing on the metal floor.

"How do you mean?" Simon asked his sister. "Who?"

"It returns your message," she replied calmly, not turning towards her brother.

Mal gazed at Simon and then back toward River, uncertain.

River tilted her head, still staring fixedly in Mal's direction. "Waiting will bring heartbreak to one or both of you," she whispered, and turned to smile at her brother.

"What did you say?" Simon asked.

River shook her long hair back, and ran lightly across the floor to meet him. "I'm hungry. Can we eat?"

"Of course." There was confusion in Simon's voice, but he said no more about her unfathomable comments.

Mal frowned. How could she know, when he wasn't even sure the message had been sent? Yet it seemed so right that she should. He snorted, moving towards the bridge. Perhaps he needn't hold back after all.

The beacon of her approval flared in his mind.

~//~


End file.
